George Seurat’s Peasant Woman Seated in the Grass
in music we’d call this an active rest.
the outfield children speckle the grass in blue uniforms—
gloves aside, eyes downcast at the earth under them,
their fingers braiding together blades of grass like locks of hair.
the movement on the diamond is too far away
and the ball never makes it past the pitcher’s mound.
seraut’s peasant sits beside them.
her bonnet is the same shade of sienna as the gloves—
knees bent, hands down, baking in the golden glow,
picking at the fibers of hay and deadened pasture around her.
she could be their right fielder,
waiting patiently for a ball that never reaches her,
preoccupied with the feel of the sun on her neck and the strands between her fingers.
the only difference is her smock is not vibrant cerulean—
the fabric faded but more forgiving than a scratchy polyester uniform.
the ball could be hit clean towards the outfield
and no one in the grass would glance up.
Georgia Riordan (she/they) is an author and writing professor. Though primarily a poet, their work also explores the forms of flash, essay, and short fiction and the genres and cross-genres of horror, creative nonfiction, and speculative fiction. You can find all their previous publications on their website: georgiariordan.com.